The present invention relates generally to wireless communications systems and, in particular, to mobile-stations for third generation wireless communications systems.
FIG. 1 depicts a second generation wireless communications system 10 in accordance with the prior art. Wireless communications system 10 comprises a plurality of base stations 12 and a plurality of mobile-stations 14. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires a unique electronic serial number (ESN) to be integrated into each mobile-station 14, wherein the ESN indicates a mobile-station""s make, model, manufacturer and/or features and subscriber/subscription information. By itself, the ESN can be used for mobile-related issues, such as theft detection, feature support identification and recall management.
Service providers of wireless communication systems have found other uses for the ESN. One such use is to combine the ESN with other subscriber/subscription information to validate and authenticate mobile-stations 14 and/or subscribers. Other subscriber/subscription information includes subscriber and/or service identifiers, such as mobile-station identifiers (also known as mobile identification numbers or MIN) and international mobile-station subscription identifiers (IMSI). Subscriber/subscription information is unique for each subscriber and is integrated into mobile-station 14. The subscriber/subscription information integrated in mobile-station 14 is hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cintegrated-subscriber/subscription information.xe2x80x9d
Wireless communications system 10 uses a second generation standard intersystem protocol for validating and authenticating mobile-stations. Wireless communications system 10 maintains a registry or database of ESNs and valid mobile-stations and subscribers for those users that subscribe to wireless communications system 10. For each ESN, there are associated one mobile-station and one subscriber/subscription in the registryxe2x80x94that is, an one-to-one relationship exist between ESNs and mobile-stations and between ESNs and subscribers/subscriptions. Since the subscriber/subscription information integrated into mobile-station 14 is typically that of the owner, the subscriber/subscription information maintained in the registry will also be that of the owner, i.e., subscriber/subscription information in registry is integrated-subscriber/subscription information for second generation wireless communications system 10. The second generation standard intersystem protocol requires that when mobile-station 14 attempts to invoke service, such as register or complete a call, from wireless communications system 10, mobile-station 14 transmits the ESN and other integrated-subscriber/subscription information integrated into mobile-station 14 to base station 12. The ESN and integrated-subscriber/subscription information are compared by wireless communications system 10 (or a home system if wireless communications system 10 is not the home system) to validate and authenticate mobile-station 14. If the transmitted ESN and integrated-subscriber/subscription information match the ESN and subscriber/subscription information in the registry, which should be the integrated-subscriber/subscription information, then mobile-station 14 is validated and authenticated. Once mobile-station 14 has been validated and authenticated, services will be provided to mobile-station 14 by wireless communications system 10.
For the next generation of wireless communications system (i.e., third generation), there exist a requirement for a user identity module (UIM), which is a logical entity having subscriber/subscription information including the MTN and/or IMSI. The UIM is required to be separable or removable from, and not integrated into, third generation mobile-stations. Such UIM is hereinafter referred to as a removable user identity module (R-UIM). Removable user identity modules would allow remote-subscribers, i.e., subscribers who are not integrated-subscribers, to use third generation mobile-stations not belonging to them by merely inserting their R-UIM into the mobile-station prior to invoking service. Thus, when a remote-subscriber attempts to invoke service using a third generation mobile-station, the ESN integrated into the mobile-station and the subscriber/subscription information in the R-UIM of the remote-subscriber, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cremote-subscriber/subscription information,xe2x80x9d are transmitted to the third generation wireless communications system for validation and authentication. Service providers, however, require third generation mobile-stations to also be capable of invoking service from second generation wireless communications systems. This would be a problem because second generation wireless communications systems use the second generation standard intersystem protocol to validate and authenticate mobile-stations. Specifically, the problem is that third generation mobile-stations cannot be validated and authenticated by second generation wireless communications systems because the transmitted remote-subscriber/subscription information (along with the ESN integrated into the mobile-station) will not match the subscriber/subscription information in the registry for the transmitted ESN, i.e., remote-subscriber/subscription information not identical to integrated-subscriber/subscription information.
One solution to this problem is to integrate the ESN into the R-UIMs and not into the mobile-stations such that the remote-subscriber info is now associated with a particular ESN. Thus, there exists an one-to-one relationship between ESNs and mobile-stations, and between ESNs and subscribers. This solution, however, is not feasible because the FCC requires the ESN to be integrated into the mobile-stations and be used to support mobile-station related issues independent of the subscriber, such as theft detection and feature support identification.
Another solution is to only use the subscriber/subscription information when validating and authenticating a mobile-station. This solution is also not feasible because service providers want third generation mobile-stations to adhere to the second generation standard intersystem protocol for validation and authentication such that third generation mobile-stations may be validated and authenticated by second generation wireless communications system. Additionally, without the ESN, the wireless communications system would not know what features are being supported by the mobile-station being used by the remote-subscriber.
A third solution would be for the wireless communications systems to maintain a registry in which more than one subscriber may be associated with each integrated ESN. This solution, however, is also not feasible because remote-subscribers would then be limited to using mobile-stations with integrated ESNs to which their remote-subscriber/subscription information (or R-UIM) are associated.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a third generation mobile-station having an integrated ESN that can be validated and authenticated by second generation wireless communication systems using remote-subscriber/subscription information.
The present invention is a mobile-station with an integrated user identity module (I-UIM) and a removable user identity module (R-UIM) that adheres to the second generation standard intersystem protocol for validation and authentication, wherein the I-UIM includes an integrated electronic serial number (I-ESN) and integrated-subscriber/subscription information and the R-UIM includes a removable electronic serial number (R-ESN) and remote-subscriber/subscription information. The mobile-station being capable of transmitting either the I-ESN and integrated-subscriber/subscription information pair or the R-ESN and remote-subscriber/subscription information pair depending on the user of the mobile-station. A registry of I-ESNs paired with integrated-subscriber/subscription information and R-ESNs paired with remote-subscriber/subscription information will be maintained by wireless communications systems and/or authentication centers. Such registry is used to validate and authenticate I-ESN and integrated-subscriber/subscription information pairs, and R-ESN and remote-subscriber/subscription information pairs.
In one embodiment, the mobile-station will use the I-ESN and integrated subscriber/subscription information for purposes of validation and authentication in the absence of a R-UIM. In the presence of a R-UIM, the mobile-station will use the R-ESN and remote subscriber/subscription information for purposes of validation and authentication unless otherwise indicated or directed by the user of the mobile-station. In another embodiment, the mobile-station will always use the I-ESN and/or integrated-subscriber/subscription information prior to using the R-ESN and/or remote-subscriber/subscription information.
Advantageously, the present invention allows wireless communications systems utilizing the second generation standard intersystem protocol to validate and authenticate subscribers using third generation mobile-stations. Additionally, the present invention satisfies the FCC requirements of having integrated ESNs to support mobile-station related issues independent of the subscriber, such as theft detection and feature support identification.